Porcelain

China, the birthplace of porcelain, boasts a rich and vibrant history of porcelain-making that represents one of the country's greatest inventions and contributions to world civilization. As the country that invented porcelain, China has long been known as the "Porcelain Kingdom" and the word "China" in English refers to both porcelain and the country itself.

Porcelain is made from materials such as porcelain stone, kaolin, feldspar, and quartz, and is coated with glass glazes or decorated with painted designs. During the high-temperature firing process, the materials and glazes undergo various chemical changes, resulting in different textures, colors, and patterns that are unique to different periods and regions. Typical examples of Chinese porcelain include the white porcelain of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), blue-and-white porcelain of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), and polychrome porcelain of the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911). Jingdezhen in Jiangxi Province is renowned for its porcelain-making craftsmanship, which dates back more than 900 years and produced porcelain for the imperial court, earning the city the title of "Porcelain Capital of China". Porcelain masterpieces showcase the high-level technological expertise of ancient China, and embody the unique cultural and aesthetic values of the East.

As an art form from the East, Chinese porcelain was an important symbol of traditional Chinese culture and an important commodity along the ancient Silk Road. Porcelain trade facilitated material and technological exchanges across the world and its rich cultural meanings informed cross-cultural communication and the development of world culture.

瓷器

中國是瓷器的故鄉，多姿多彩的瓷器是中國古代的偉大發明之一，也是中華民族對世界文明的偉大貢獻。中國是最先發明瓷器的國家，外國人把中國稱作“瓷器之國”，英語中的“China”既名瓷器，又稱中國。

瓷器由瓷石、高嶺土、石英石、莫來石等燒制而成，外表施有玻璃質釉或彩繪。在高溫燒制過程中，瓷器的胎料和釉色因溫度不同而發生各種化學變化，形成不同的質地、色彩和紋飾，使不同時期、不同產地的瓷器精美雅致、各具特色。宋朝的白瓷、元代的青花瓷、明清的五彩瓷是中國瓷器發展史上的典型代表。江西景德鎮因制瓷工藝聞名于世，歷史上曾為皇室制作瓷器長達900多年，被稱為中國的“瓷都”。這些瓷器精品不僅體現了古代中國領先世界的技藝水平，更承載著東方世界的獨特文化和審美。

作為來自東方的藝術品，中國瓷器是中華傳統文化的重要標識，也是古代絲綢之路上的重要貨物，自唐朝開始就遠銷海外。瓷器貿易推動了世界物質和技術交流，其蘊含的豐富人文內涵，對中外文明交流互鑒和世界文化發展產生了深遠影響。